The Rwenzori Mountains in the Centenary of the Historical Climbing of 1906 - 2006
The Rwenzori Mountains are the biggest mountain range in Africa, with 6 main mountains and peaks which exceed 4.500 m of altitude: Stanley, Speke, Baker, Gessi, Emin Pasha, Luigi Di Savoia. The range is located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo covering up to 120 Km. The territory is shared between the “Rwenzori Mountains National Park” in Uganda and “Virunga National Park” in Congo, however most of the area is on the Ugandan side. The highest mountain, Mt. Stanley, reaches the altitude of 5.109 m. with Margherita Peak. “Rwenzori” in the local Bakonjo language means “mountains of the rain”, referring to the rainy nature of the range, well known for its everlasting snow covered peaks, which is interesting to remark considering that on the South of the Rwenzori is the line of the Equator.
Traditionally these mountains have been an object of mystery due to the little knowledge people had of the Rwenzori until the XIX Century. The first western adventurer who is reported to have seen the mountains from far away is Sir Henry Morton Stanley in 1888. Already the geographer Claudius Ptolemy in 150 AC, while collecting the stories coming from the central African region, for the first time spoke of the “Mountains of the Moon” or “Lunae Montes”, from where eventually could originates the river Nile.
However, after several attempts made by British explorers to ascend the main peaks, the first to complete the mission was the Italian Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, the Duke of Abruzzi. The Italian led team, between June and July 1906 climbed the mountains, opening a new page in the history of mountaineering and exploration in Africa, and providing an answer to the most unresolved geographical questions in the region for centuries. Some of the peaks still have the name which the Duke choose to honour the Italian Kingdom and Queen Margherita. The memorable photographs of Vittorio Sella, the official photographers of the expedition, for the first time gave a concrete image to the fabulous and legendary snow covered Mountains of the Moon.
In the occasion of the Centenary of the historical climbing, the Italian and Ugandan communities have decided to celebrate the event, with the aim of attracting more international attention to the Rwenzori mountains, still not well known as an important destination for tourists and climbers and Uganda as a country.
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